Electrical terminal assembly

ABSTRACT

An electrical terminal for use in a gas water heater control or the like in which the insulator has integral leaf spring wings with projections to snap fit into a groove in the control body to retain the insulator therein.

United States Patent Inventor George P. Greenamyer Monrovia, Calif.

Appl. No. 13,924

Filed Feb. 25, 1970 Patented Nov. 23, 19.71

Assignee International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation New York,N.Y.

ELECTRICAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 339/212, 339/220 R Int. Cl H0lr 13/40 Field of Search 339/89, 91,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,474,388 10/1969 Jackson etal. 339/92 2,828,393 3/1958 Wingard 339/220 3,467,893 9/1969 Jackson etal. 339/89 C Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn A!t0rneys-C. CornellRemsen, Jr., Walter J. Baum, Paul W.

Hemminger, Charles L. Johnson, Jr. and Thomas E. Kristofi'ersonABSTRACT: An electrical terminal for use in a gas water heater controlor the like in which the insulator has integral leaf spring wings withprojections to snap fit into a groove in the control body to retain theinsulator therein.

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ELECTRICAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to anelectrical terminal assembly for use in a gas water heater control orthe like.

In the past, no means have been provided to hold a terminal inside acontrol for ease in assembly. One prior art device such as this isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,2862 16.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the device of the presentinvention, the above-described and other disadvantages of the prior artare overcome by providing a control body with an external groove and aninternal insulator having external leaf springs with projections to snapfit into the grooves. The insulator is, thus, locked in position insidethe control body for further assembly.

The above-described and other advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description when considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, which are to beregarded as merely illustratrve:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an insulator and oneconductive contact;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the insulator;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 shown in FIG. 1 of theinsulator and the conductive contacts;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the assembly taken on the line44 shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a plug for the body of a gas water heatercontrol; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the plug taken on the line 6-6shown in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, in FIG. I, aninsulator is indicated at 10 from which a metal contact 11 is exploded.In the complete assembly of the invention, two identical contacts areemployed as indicated at 11' and 11" in FIG. 3.

One contact 11 fits on top of an insulator web 12. The other contactfits on the bottom of insulator web 12. A plug 13 is fixed to one end ofweb 12. Also, except for contact II, all parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 2are made of a single integral piece of nylon, but the different partswill be described as though separate. However, all of the parts arefixed relative to, for example, web 12.

Leaf springs I4 and 15 are fixed to plug 13. Projections I6 and 17 arefixed to the ends of springs 14 and 15, respectively. Projections I8 and19 are also fixed to springs 14 and 15, respectively, as shown in FIGS.I and 2.

Projections 20 and 21 are fixed to opposite sides of web 12. Web I2 hasa circular portion 22 to which projections 23 and 24 are fixed.Projections 25 and 26 project downwardly from circular portion 22 asshown in FIG. 2. Projections 27 and 28 are fixed to opposite sides ofweb 12. The same is true of projections 29 and 30.

Leaf springs 31 and 32 are fixed to projections 29 and 30, respectively.Leaf springs 31 and 32 have projections 33 and 34 fixed thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, leaf spring 11 has a shape substantially identicalto that of web 12. For example, contact 11 has circular portion 35, andstrips 36 and 37 connected therefrom. Contact I I also has a lug 38which may be crimped around the wire of an electrical lead or solderedthereto. The shape of the lug portion 38 of contact I I may be changedto any configuration ifdesired.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, contacts 11' and II are maintained securelyagainst the upper and lower surfaces of web 12 by projections 21 and 28.Once insulator I0 is molded to the shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, boththe top and bottom of projections 20, 21, 27, and 28 are molded over thetop of contact 11 and over the bottom of contact II" as indicated at 39in FIG. 4. This mold may be done by the use of a heated tool or by anyconventional means. A sonic welder may also be employed.

A plug 40 shown in FIG. 5 may be employed for connection to the body ofa gas water heater control. Plug 40 includes a base portion 41 having ahead 42 integral therewith. Head 42 is soldered through a hole whichextends completely through the center of plug 40. A milling machine isused to solder head 42. The milling machine, thus, may create a recess43 in base 41. Theslot is indicated at 44. Head 42, except for slot 44,has the appearance of a conventional hex-nut with a helical screw thread45 therein. The bottom of the hole at 46 is smooth. The hole is acounter bore to a hole 47 which extends through base 41. The completeassembly is shown in FIG. 6. A contact 48 has a connector 49 fixedthereto and insulated from a threaded conductive sleeve 50 by insulation53. Contact 52 is fixed to-a conductor 54 which, in turn, is fixed toconductor 55. Sleeve 50 presses contact 48 against the circular portionof contact 11'. At the same time, contact 11' is pressed against contact52.

In assembly, projections l8, 19, 31, and 34 spring out around thehex-nut surface of head 42 and are then snapped into a groove of plug 40as shown in FIG. 6. Insulator I0 is then inserted in slot 44 andcontacts 11' and 11'' are fixed thereto as shown in FIG. 4. Withcontacts 11' and 11" fixed to insulator 10, this subassembly is loweredinto slot 44 with projections l6 and 17 up as viewed in FIG. 6 on theoutside of head 42, When insulator 10 reaches the portion of groove 56,the projections 18, I9, 33 and 34 snap into groove 56. In accordancewith the foregoing, the snap fit of the insulator projections in groove56 make assembly and subassembly easy and rapid.

What is claimed is:

I. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: a receptacle body havinga hole therethrough, said body also having a slot intercepting saidhole, said slot having a mid plane extending approximately through thehole axis, said slot extending all the way through said body over aportion of its length, said body having an approximately annular grooveextending radially thereinto toward said axis at a position spaced fromone end of said body, said slot extending completely through said oneend; and an elongated insulator slidable vertically in said slot, saidinsulator projecting radially outside of said slot at each end thereof;a projection; and a cantilever leaf spring fixed between said insulatorand said projection, said spring being shaped to be bent by said body ina radial outwardly extending direction when said insulator is moved insaid slot toward said groove, said spring being adapted to snap saidprojection into said groove when said insulator reaches the position ofsaid groove.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein three additionalcantilever leaf springs and three additional projections are provided,two pairs of leaf springs extending in opposite directions from butbeing fixed to the ends of said insulator projecting outwardly of saidslot, said springs extending around the outside of said body generallytangent to a circle concentric with said axis in a plane perpendicularthereto, each projection being fixed to a corresponding leaf spring atthe free end thereof in a position extending therefrom generally in aninward radial direction toward said axis.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein said insulator and allof said springs and projections are made of the same insulating materialand are integral with one another.

4. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: an insulator having anelongated web; and a conductive contact positioned on opposite sides ofsaid web, said web having guide means fixed to each side thereof toretain both of said contacts against said web, said web having anuniform thickness throughout its extent, said web having substantiallyflat, parallel surfaces to engage said contacts, said web having acircular said circular portion projections form a cylinder with slotsapart located at the positions that said strips are connected to saidweb circular portion, said slots having the same width. said slot widthbeing equal to the width of said strips.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said insulator. saidweb. said guide means, said projections, said web circular portion, andall of said pairs of said circular portion projections being made of thesame material, and being integral with each other.

1. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: a receptacle body havinga hole therethrough, said body also having a slot intercepting saidhole, said slot having a mid plane extending approximately through thehole axis, said slot extending all the way through said body over aportion of its length, said body having an approximately annular grooveextending radially thereinto toward said axis at a position spaced fromone end of said body, said slot extending completely through said oneend; and an elongated insulator slidable vertically in said slot, saidinsulator projecting radially outside of said slot at each end thereof;a projection; and a cantilever leaf spring fixed between said insulatorand said projection, said spring being shaped to be bent by said body ina radial outwardly extending direction when said insulator is moved insaid slot toward said groove, said spring being adapted to snap saidprojection into said groove when said insulator reaches the position ofsaid groove.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein threeadditional cantilever leaf springs and three additional projections areprovided, two pairs of leaf springs extending in opposite directionsfrom but being fixed to the ends of said insulator projecting outwardlyof said slot, said springs extending around the outside of said bodygenerally tangent to a circle concentric with said axis in a planeperpendicular thereto, each projection bEing fixed to a correspondingleaf spring at the free end thereof in a position extending therefromgenerally in an inward radial direction toward said axis.
 3. Theinvention as defined in claim 2, wherein said insulator and all of saidsprings and projections are made of the same insulating material and areintegral with one another.
 4. An electrical terminal assemblycomprising: an insulator having an elongated web; and a conductivecontact positioned on opposite sides of said web, said web having guidemeans fixed to each side thereof to retain both of said contacts againstsaid web, said web having an uniform thickness throughout its extent,said web having substantially flat, parallel surfaces to engage saidcontacts, said web having a circular portion from which rectangularstrips are connected 180* apart, said contacts each having a shapesubstantially identical to that of said web, said guide means includinga projection on each side of each strip molded over the top thereof toretain each contact.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 4, wherein thecircular portion of said web has one pair of projections on each sidethereof located about 180* apart in a plane through the center of saidcircular portion perpendicular to the strip axis.
 6. The invention asdefined in claim 5, wherein one pair of said circular portionprojections form a cylinder with slots 180* apart located at thepositions that said strips are connected to said web circular portion,said slots having the same width, said slot width being equal to thewidth of said strips.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 6, whereinsaid insulator, said web, said guide means, said projections, said webcircular portion, and all of said pairs of said circular portionprojections being made of the same material, and being integral witheach other.